In the Light of the Flames
by Fivekudera
Summary: Short oneshot inspired by a song with the same title. Tsuna takes his fiances place in the fire after the village found out that she used magic. Character death, or maybe not. Rated just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors note:**  
><strong>First off, to the readers of <em>Illusion Skies<em>, I am very deeply sorry for not having updated in such a long time!**  
><strong>I've been suffering from writers block as well as many issues with myself and the people around me. I've only written half of the second chapter so far, but hopefully I'll finish it soon! Once again; I am deeply sorry!<strong>

**This is something very fast-written while I was listening to a swedish song called _I Lågornas Sken __(In The Light of The Flames)_ by Nordman**  
><strong>If you go to YouTube and search for I Lågornas Sken Nordman English Lyrics, you will find a video by <em>AccuseSourberry<em> with perfect translated lyrics!**  
><strong>I'm not really happy with this, but considering I'm still having writers block I guess it's kind of good...<strong>  
><strong>I might continue this later, but until then I'll leave this as a oneshot.<strong>

**Katekyo Hitman Reborn©Akira Amano! **

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><p>"Sawada Tsunayoshi. You are suspected for having used witchcraft to cause injuries on one of our own. After finding no proof of your innocence, I hereby sentence you do death by burning in the cleansing fires of god!"<p>

The large man, the village chief, threw a torch on the pile of dry wood. It was soon joined by other torches thrown by a few men.  
>In the middle of the dry wood, tied with his back against a wooden pole, stood a brunette boy. He didn't say anything. He only looked solemnly at the fire that was slowly growing around him. He knew exactly how to save his life, but it would also mean that the one he loved would suffer the fate that he had chosen instead of her. He'd rather die himself than watch his beloved fiancé burn.<p>

There were some truth in that the chief had said; He had used witchcraft, but not to harm anyone. In fact, he hadn't used his powers for days now since he didn't feel like they were needed. But he wasn't the only one with Powers in the village.

His fiancé, Sasagawa Kyoko, had been harassed by a drunken middle-aged man on her way back to the village after having gathered some wood the night before. When he refused to leave her alone, instead getting closer and grabbing at her skirt, she had used her Powers on him. Her Power made her able to control a person's sight, to decide if they could see or not. She had made the man blind and because of that he had fallen down into a wolf trap and broken both his legs.  
>Kyoko had rushed back to the village and told Tsuna about what had happened. They both knew that they couldn't flee from the village, they wouldn't get far before they were killed by the archers. So Tsuna had confronted the chief in the early morning, saying that it was him who had blinded the man from a distance.<br>It didn't take long for the villagers to build the fire and tie him to the pole.

Now the flames were almost touching him but he barely noticed. So far, all he felt was a small tickling sensation all thanks to his Powers.  
>Tsuna looked up from his feet and scanned the crowd around him. He could see his mother crying hysterically, his father holding her tightly. Tsuna smiled sadly before tearing his gaze from them. He tried to find Kyoko, wanting to see his fiancé one last time before the fire actually started to harm him. But the short haired girl was no-where to be seen. He saw her brother Ryohei though, standing in the back of the crowd with a troubled expression. It was the first time Tsuna had seen that expression on the older Sasagawa's face, and it saddened him a little that it would be the last. He knew the reason behind Ryohei's expression though. Ryohei knew about Kyoko's Power, as well as Tsuna's, since he had Powers of his own. He knew that Tsuna had taken Kyoko's place. And he probably also knew where Kyoko were.<p>

When Ryohei saw Tsuna looking at him he suddenly looked guilty, and glanced towards the side. Tsuna followed his gaze and felt his heart stop. Kyoko was standing in the shadows between two houses, making out with a taller male, and completely ignoring her fiancés impending death in the fire.

A single tear rolled down Tsuna's cheek, and suddenly he felt the fire upon him. It caught hold of the ropes holding him, burning his wrists and ankles. It caught on his pants and shirt and soon also his hair.

A shrill scream of pain left his throat as he thrashed against his bindings, trying to get away from the burning and the pain. It was useless, he knew that, but his body disobeyed him as it struggled even more. Another scream left him and then everything turned black.

The majority of the villages sheered as the flames swallowed the brunette. When the thick smoke cleared, all that remained was a still burning piece of rope and ash covered bones. Everything was gathered and ordered to be buried at the nearest holy ground.

_END (for now)._


	2. Chapter 1,5

**Authors Note:**** Since people put this on Alert and also PM'd me about wanting more, even though I said it was probably going to stay as a one-shot, I really couldn't help but writing another chapter as soon as I had finished the second chapter of **_**Illusion Skies**_**.**

**Please ignore the part in the first chapter where I mentioned that Ryohei has Powers. He doesn't!**  
><strong>But he still knows about Kyoko's and Tsuna's Powers.<strong>

**This is a Mukuro-centric chapter, beware of a little blood.**

**Also, I consider this a sort of "interlude" between chapter 1 and chapter 2, which is why this is called chapter 1.5**

**Katekyo Hitman Reborn © Akira Amano**

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><p>If something happened in a village, it would take at least five days before the closest neighboring village heard about it. News travelled slowly even with the help of horses. That was, of course, if you were an ordinary human.<br>The witches and warlocks, the people with Powers, had their own Network easily accessed with a simple spell and their element. Therefore the news about Tsunayoshi's burning had reached almost everyone in the country who had Powers, before the village next to his even heard a whisper about it.

Most didn't care, saying that it was yet another young warlock not being careful enough with his Powers. Some, mainly the ones living in the villages close to Tsunayoshi's, started moving away. Every time someone was burned, a witch hunter would come and search the villages nearby just in case the witch or warlock in question had survived and fled to somewhere nearby to heal.

Very few had known Tsunayoshi personally, and those who had mourned the loss of a friend and fellow warlock. Rokudo Mukuro was one of them.

Mukuro was a warlock specializing in illusions, possession and manipulation. His relationship with Tsunayoshi was simple; He gave Tsunayoshi information, and he gave Mukuro herbs.

The information given was mostly new spells, news that were "off the network" and the like. The herbs received were healing herbs that Sasagawa Kyoko grew, without her knowing it of course. Mukuro couldn't grow the herbs himself because of his constant travelling, and he always needed them since his physical defense wasn't really something he could brag about. Being a user of illusions, he didn't do much physical work other than travelling and even that didn't give him much exercise since he mostly preferred to travel through mist.  
>Tsunayoshi had called him lazy on several occasions, but Mukuro always laughed it off.<p>

When the mist whispered to Mukuro that Tsunayoshi had been burned, Mukuro's world turned up-side-down. The relationship he had with Tsunayoshi was the closest to some kind of emotional attachment he had to anything, or anyone. To have that attachment forcibly pulled from his hands and his heart didn't sit well with the illusionist, so he did the only thing he could think of. He killed.

A small village that he had been passing through met its end by his Powers. He killed, he burned, he destroyed. Guided with blind rage he didn't leave a single soul alive, not a single house untouched. Everything burned before his eyes and he laughed as he stabbed the last villager with his trident, blood splattering around him and on him. He didn't care. All he cared about was the fact that his only not-enemy was dead and would never call him lazy again. Never heal him, never give him herbs, never laugh with him, never repeat his promise of eternal friendship.

The blue-haired male collapsed on his knees in the middle of the burning village. He stared up at the sky and smiled sadly.

"Sweet dreams, little sky," he mumbled, closing his eyes.

When someone with Powers does something that oversteps the legal boundaries by miles and no longer can be subdued by the witch hunters, the Vindice stepped in. They were otherworldly entities, older than magic itself, and no one could escape their bindings and seals.

Mukuro knew that the Vindice would come after him as soon as the news of his massacre of the village spread over the Network, but he just couldn't care. He stayed in the middle of the burning village, covered in the blood of his victims, and waited. Once the first Vindice showed up, Mukuro attacked. He engaged the Vindice in a fight while laughing manically and an aura of bloodlust and pure malice surrounding him.  
>Tsunayoshi had died, and with him the last small piece of Mukuro's humanity.<p>

Mukuro fought the Vindice with no restrictions, no fear and with movements so fast and unpredictable that he barely registered them himself.  
>The illusionist would later be known as the only warlock who had ever managed to kill a Vindice.<p>

After the fight, more of the Vindice appeared and captured the rampaging man. They sealed him away on the bottom of a holy lake, leaving him immobile and Powerless but still alive. He was to remain there for the rest of his life. It was a worse fate than killing him, according to many.

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><p><strong>Short chapter, I know, but please don't kill me. The "real" chapter 2 will be up very shortly!<strong>


	3. Chapter 2

**Authors Note:**** Told you chapter 3 would be up shortly!  
>The beginning of this chapter was originally the end of the first chapter, but I cut it since I wanted the first chapter to end with Tsuna's death ('cause I'm evil like that!).<strong>

**Also, I do realize that "Network" is a kind of too "new" word to be used in this fic, but in lack of other words I will continue using it. Oh the wonders of being too lazy to look up other words!**  
><strong>I'm also too lazy (and lack proper internet) to do any kind of research, most facts are from my headimagination. Also, swear-/curse-words were probably not the same during that time, but I'll be using our "regular" swear-words. Please bear with me.**

**Katekyo Hitman Reborn © Akira Amano**

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><p>"Boss? Are you alright?"<p>

Tsuna groaned and slowly opened his eyes. A violet eye filled with worry looked down at him.

"Chrome?"

The girl nodded and helped the brunette to slowly sit up. Tsuna looked around. They were in a forest, obviously, judging by all the trees surrounding them.

"Where are we?"

"As far from your village I could take us, Boss."

That meant that they probably were on the other side of the country. Or halfway, depending on what condition Chrome had been in before moving them.  
>Tsuna gently placed a hand on the girls head and smiled warmly.<p>

"Thank you, Chrome. You saved my life."

The girl blushed and giggled a little in embarrassment.

Chrome was a young girl who looked about two years younger than Tsuna. She had purple hair shaped like a fruit of some kind – Though Tsuna never could figure out what fruit it was – and a bright violet eye. Her right eye was covered with a big cloth as it had been severely damaged when she was created.

"How are you feeling?" Tsuna asked. He knew that Chrome always used a little too much energy when she travelled through her mist.

"I had lots of energy stored up, so don't worry," Chrome answered with a small smile, "How are you feeling yourself, Boss?"

Tsuna stretched and heard some satisfying cracks from his bones.

"I'm fine, just a little sore. I'm not used to use illusions, even with fire. I guess that's why I passed out."

"If I hadn't arrived when I had, you would've…"

"I know, Chrome. But you arrived on perfect time and saved me, so let's not think about that anymore."

Chrome nodded in agreement, and they both stood up.

"How's the Network?" Tsuna asked, massaging his wrists as he could still feel the burning rope on them, "It's been at least six hours, judging by the sun, so something must've happened by now."

"Two witches have moved from the village next to yours, to escape the witch hunter who'll probably arrive in two weeks."

"Understandable, better safe than sorry. Anything else?"

Chrome hesitated, looking down at her hands playing with the end of her green skirt. Tsuna frowned.

"Something has happened. Tell me."

Chrome stayed silent.

"Chrome Dokuro, I command you to tell me what you're hiding!"

Chrome looked up at Tsuna then, her eye wide from the forceful tone he was using. She couldn't refuse him when he commanded her, since she was a part of him. She swallowed before slowly answering.

"After hearing about your burning, Mukuro-sama slaughtered a village. He killed one of the Vindice who showed up. The other Vindice captured him and sealed him away in one of the holy lakes."

A heavy silence settled between them and Chrome shivered. After a moment Tsuna stepped forward and hugged Chrome tightly.

"I'm sorry Chrome. I know that we both hate it when I do that, but I had the feeling that it was something important. And it was," Tsuna sighed, "That idiot. He should've contacted you first. We won't be able to help him."

Chrome sniffed and returned the hug, burying her face in his chest. She accepted his apology without any words. She understood him.

"And he killed a Vindice?"

Chrome nodded, and then looked up in surprise when Tsuna chuckled.

"If I had known that he was so powerful, I would've made him grow his own herbs long ago," the brunette said with a grin.

Chrome smiled slightly.

"He was always full of surprises," she said quietly.

"Is, Chrome. He IS full of surprises, not was. He's not dead yet, and he'll get out of there someday. It's not like him to be in one place for too long."

Chrome nodded, and silence fell over them again but this time it was more comfortable. Tsuna squeezed Chrome a little tighter before he let go of her and stepped back.

"We should get going. I'd rather camp by a lake or a river, and not in the middle of the forest," Tsuna said, grinning, "Besides, I haven't eaten fish in a long time."

. . .

To have pets is not unusual. To have unordinary pets, like a phoenix or a griffin, was quite unusual but not so much. Even a few regular people, without Powers, had magical pets. To have hybrids, a mix between a human and an animal, was most unusual but not unheard of. Hybrids had no real place they belonged as they weren't allowed to have villages of their own, so they either belonged to humans or ran around wild until they died from either nature or hunters. Most often the latter.

Most hybrids were loyal to their owners, though it was quite common for a hybrid to switch owners at least once during their lifetime either because of the age of the previous owner. The hybrids' lifespan were considerably longer than humans, and the ones who had Powers usually outlived their warlock owners too. For a hybrid to have Powers was not something overly usual, but it did happen every now and then that a hybrid was blessed with Powers upon its birth. Hybrids with Powers were more sought after than hybrids without, and most of the time the owners overlooked the hybrids personalities and temperament just because they could make use of their Powers.

It might make one confused that people accepted hybrids with Powers, while they burned witches and warlocks. But hybrids could be easily controlled with a few words because of their deep instinct to obey and protect their masters.

Hayato was a hybrid with Powers, and he had been through nine owners during his seventeen years. He had liked his first owner since the man had let Hayato see his mother a few times, something that was actually forbidden. To keep hybrids from organizing themselves and rebel against humans, mother and child hybrids were separated as soon as the child was born. But the first owner had let Hayato meet his mother once a month for five years, and for that he was grateful. Then his mother died from an illness, and soon after that his owner died by the hands of a thief.

The second owner had been a young ambitious scholar who wanted to make use of Hayato's Powers. Two year of painful training later, Hayato ran away. He was caught, punished, and sold to a third owner. Since then life had been nothing but hell for the cat-hybrid.

Until his ninth owner. She had been an elderly witch who owned a female cat, a regular cat, and she felt that she wanted some company for both of them. Being a cat-hybrid, Hayato could talk with cats as easily as he could with humans. He had been with the witch and her cat for about five months, before the witch passed away.

**"**Live your life and get stronger, my dears. Follow only yourselves!**"**

She had said that on her deathbed, patted him and the cat on their heads, and then she was gone, taken by her age.

**"**Let's meet again someday.**"**

The female cat had said that the next day after Hayato had buried the witch, before leaving him alone by the grave.

Since then Hayato had lived on his own in the large forest that surrounded the small cottage the witch had been living in. He had put up safety spells and a small curse around the cottage to prevent anyone from getting close to it. He didn't trust anyone, be it human or animal, besides himself and the female cat. And the female was gone, leaving him to only trust and rely on himself. It was fine by him since he didn't really need on a family, or a pack, thanks to his cat-genes.

Hayato only went to the closest village when he needed new clothes, which he stole before quickly returning to the forest before anyone could see him. If they knew a hybrid was living in the forest, hunters would be chasing him before he even had the time to blink.  
>Food and shelter he got from the forest, having perfected the art of fishing with bare hands and sleeping high up in a tree without falling down.<p>

He practiced with his Powers every day, always aiming to get stronger and surpassing himself. His Powers were mostly fire-related, with mid- to long-range attacks being his forte. With a small spell that he almost constantly repeated in the back of his head he could mix together fire and energy, and make the mix take a solid cylinder-like form. He used the cylinders for throwing and they exploded on impact, unless he ended the spell and made them explode mid-air.

Today he was target-practicing on small moving objects in the air, leaves that he kept floating thanks to the wind-magic his mother had taught him when he had been very little. The practice was going well until he released the spell on the cylinders a little too late. Fire spread quickly through the bushes and the grass, far too quickly because of the lack of rain during the last couple of days.

Usually Hayato had no problem with ending the fires he accidentally started, but since it was spreading so quickly in so many directions he couldn't keep up with it. The fire spread in a circle around him and he finally realized that his life was in danger. He tried making the fire clear a path for him, but found that he couldn't. Most of his energy was already gone because of the training, and smoke was now invading his lungs and making his head spin.

Hayato's ears flattened themselves against his head as he let out a low hiss at the fire. The fire only got closer, faster. He started running around in the circle he was caught in, trying again and again to make the fire open up at least a little for him but to no avail. He let out a frustrated yowl that turned into a painful scream as the tip of his tail caught on fire. He brought his tail in front of him and licked the tip, not minding the burning on his tongue.

_'Great, I'm about to die in my own fire and all I can think of is my tail. Fan-fucking-tastic,'_he thought sullenly, hugging his tail to his chest.

Suddenly he smelled something different. It smelled like fire, but it smelled pure and harmonizing instead of burning and destroying. Before he had any time to figure out where this strange fire was, he was flying. Or more like, someone grabbed him under his arms and lifted him high above the ground and the raging fire.

Hayato let out a surprised _ "Meow?"_and turned his head to see who, or what, had saved him. He was met with a pair of glowing orange eyes, sparkling with amusement.

"Want to go to the river and cool off?"

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><p><strong>So… Anyone wanna take a guess on what Chrome is? It will be explained in the next chapter, though I have no idea whatsoever when that chapter will be done. Though hopefully it'll be done before Christmas.<strong>

**Thank you for reading!**


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